For many ratepayers in Umvoti the 9% rates increase proposed in the draft budget for 2010/11 will be a financial challenge when considered together with an electricity increase of 28.9% and 10% increase in other tariff charges. The hard hit consumer is also faced with cost of living increases and lack of employment opportunities in the district.

.A budget of R153 million has been drafted comprising capital expenditure of R38 million and a R114 million operating budget .The highest percentage of expenditure is 33% (R38 million) general expenses and 26% (R30 million) personnel costs.

At the rates and IDP public meeting held last Wednesday about 200 people were present -unfortunately it was not a representative attendance with a much smaller percentage of Greytown and Enhlalakahle ratepayers and role players present compared to residents from the district.

It was encouraging to note the number of youngsters at the meeting - one can only hope that this augers well for the future of the district in that they are displaying such an interest in the economic development of their town and district. The meeting which was billed in out of town papers because the Municipal officials maintain that this would attract Pietermaritzburg and Durban residents, to come to Greytown, was run parallel with the Umzinyathi District Municipality’s presentation of its IDP and budget.

The Umzinyathi budget and IDP is of course important to Umvoti residents as Umvoti is one of the four municipalities which make up Umzinyathi. Unfortunately not many Umvoti residents were aware that the two would take place on the same day.

Due to start at 4 p.m. members of the public and ratepayers who were there on time were entertained to a range of disco music from the stage until the meeting actually started at 4.45 p.m A welcome was given by Councillor T.Z. Ngubane as a Ward Councillor representative and Umvoti Mayor, Councillor Petros Ngubane gave an address on what had been achieved in Umvoti and what the plans are for the 2010/11 IDP and budget.

After the official business of the meeting, members of the public and ratepayers enjoyed a performance by a troupe of traditional dancers from Pinetown and a meal.

Although the 2010/11 draft budget was included in the agenda documents for the meeting on 29th March according to ANC and DA Councillors at the meeting no discussion took place on the budget and the proposed 9% increase.

At the rates meeting last Wednesday - no discussion was permitted and questions from the floor were not allowed. Members of the public and ratepayers were informed that any queries or comments had to be submitted in writing to the Municipal offices for consideration at the Council meeting at which the draft budget would be finalised - no date for this meeting has as yet been made public.

According to the various Municipal legal requirements cut off time for the submission of the budget to Province for approval is the end of May.

Copies of the IDP and budget are available for viewing at the local Municipal offices and library as well as on Umvoti Municipal website. Anyone interested in the future of the town and district should make the effort to study these documents

ENDS

TWO INJURED IN COLLISION ON “DEATH ROAD”

Its notorious for the number of collisions which have occurred -the stretch of road from the Elandsfontein turnoff to the Dalton turn off on the equally notorious Greytown/Pietermaritzburg “death “road.

On Sunday evening, just before 7 p.m. Tarryn Chiazzari was driving back to Greytown when a vehicle , travelling towards Pietermaritzburg, overtook on the double barrier line and collided with Tarryn -both were seriously injured. Tarryn, who is getting married in two weeks time was in hospital overnight and was released on Monday with injuries to her knee and wrist

Driver of the bakkie,Themba Mkhize is apparently from Pietermaritzburg - he was driving a vehicle with the registration “UMDM15ZN” which it is understood is an uMsunduzi District Municipality vehicle . At this stage no one has been able to explain why or how such a vehicle was on this road at that time. A bystander at the accident said that about 45 minutes to an hour after the collision a black Mercedes had arrived at the scene from Pietermaritzburg with people who were apparently linked to the bakkie driver.

At the time of going to press it was reported that the driver, who had suffered a broken leg was still in hospital.

So many users of the Greytown/Pietermaritzburg road have contacted the Greytown Gazette to complain about the blatant abuse by drivers of rules of the road on this particular road.

It is frightening to the many people who have no option for medical, educational, business reasons etc to drive this road on a daily basis.Once again the Greytown Gazette asks the authorities how many people have to be killed or injured before positive action is taken not only to improve the safety and quality of the road but also to punish the many drivers who blatantly flaunt the law

Umvoti A had Damien and Patrick O’Sullivan with Vanessa Williams slotting in at number two. Drawn in the A Division they struggled as a section where time was limited to make up a handicap difference. They came up against Noodsberg in their third game. This was an excellent game which could have gone either way but Noodsberg held on to win by one goal.

The Umvoti B team with Caroline Minnaar, Wesley Flowers and Jarryd Jacklin, were also drawn in the A division. They did exceptionally well to win two of their games but were one short of being runners-up in their division.

Dean Flower’s C Team lying in the B Division had mixed fortunes and felt the loss of Alice Gilmore who had to withdraw form the tournament due to a riding accident. The late change to the team did not help and they found themselves outplayed in their three games.

Matthew During , Waldo Bosse and Jane O’Sullivan, once again , found themselves playing in a sudden-death final, which they lost. Jane had excellent support from Matthew and Waldo.

Only Umvoti E, with Cavan O’Sullivan, Colin Storey and Ryan Gibbs, met with any success when they won the D Division. This section played good polocrosse throughout the weekend and it will be interesting to watch their progress for the remainder of the season. Jacquie Minnaar, Mike Zietsman and Skhumbuzo Xaba, were runners-up in their division. Jacquie is showing tremendous improvement this season and received the best “horse and rider” award in her division for the tournament.

Umvoti Polocrosse Tournament will be held at Lake Merthley over the weekend of 29/30 May . This will be an opportunity for Greytonians to see what polocrosse is all about and to give the family a pleasant afternoon’s outing.

ENDS

GREYTOWN COUNTRY CLUB NEWS

Mark Thomas won the prize money at Friday evening’s attendance draw. The next draw will be held on Friday 7 May - R100 will be up for grabs.

The monthly Happy Hour will take place this Friday. A R20 ticket places you in the draw for R1 000 or a bottle of Chivas Regal. Please come and enjoy the evening with us.

Entries for the PANNAR Golf Day are closed. T-off times are on the notice board for all to see - thank you to everyone supporting this event.

In an effort to raise funds, we are selling wooden plaques on which your name will be inscribed and placed on the wall in the bar area. Please contact the Club if you are interested in purchasing one of these blocks. Cost is only R100 per member.

Dates to diarise:

30 April – Happy Hour

1 May - PANNAR Golf Day

8 May - Mascor Monthly Mug

29 May - Sanlam Cancer Challenge

30 May – Ladies’ Invitation Day

ENDS

BIZ BITZ...APPLEYARD FARM

It has one of the most spectacular views in Umvoti - sit out on the spacious deck, enjoy the scenic spread and farm ambience and even more so the excellent food being served at the new Appleyard Farm restaurant. Wellknown Greytonian Vicky Kruger has always wanted to own a restaurant and now its happened together with Roy Ralph ( who used to run a restaurant in Franschoek) and his fiancee Terry Short (a most charming manager). Husband Kobus Kruger has been the force behind building the new deck with an old grapevine left to flourish in the midst of the tables. Aim is make use as much as possible of food grown locally (and organically) -meals are really tasty and helpings mansize!

Appleyard Farm will be open on Saturdays and Sundays for brunch and lunch - Friday evenings for dinners and on request in the evenings. Bookings are absolutely essential - phone 083 7033 449 to book a place for a really good meal in a stunning setting.

The team will also do dinners in homes as well as frozen meals. It is child friendly and they are in the process of making it wheelchair friendly.

ENDS

SPATE OF BREAK-INS

A number of vehicle break-ins have been reported in the area spanning McCullum, Becker and Erskine Streets over the past week.

Valuable tools were taken from a bakkie, and a considerable amount of money withdrawn from an FNB ATM when the thieves found a purse containing cards in one of the vehicles. A car radio was stolen as well as patio chairs.

For the second time in a week vandals attempted to break into the Greytown Bowls Club and were thwarted by the tight security.

Reports of many break-ins in Enhlalakahle have also been received.

A resident who has been the target of these petty criminals queries what is being done about this wave of crime ...’’how do we control this -there are obviously organised gangs as well as vandals.Do we have to take it in turns to sit up at night to protect our homes and families.We are not allowed to take the law into our own hands yet the criminals can walk the streets at will!”

The Greytown Gazette requested comment from Greytown Police Commissioner, Senior Superintendent Maphalala who urged residents not to leave vehicles in the open or to leave any valuable items such as bikes, tools anything mobile , outside or visible.

If anyone does have a burglary they should not touch the surrounds so that the fingerprint squad can take fingerprints.

He also requested anyone who noticed any individual acting suspiciously or any vehicle that looked suspicious to immediately report such.

The quickest way to contact the Police, security and emergency services is to contact the 911 Ops Centre at 033 417 2911.

ENDS

readers write

DO YOU KNOW AN EVERYDAY HERO?

Sir,

I am working as a researcher with the production company, Dzuguda Productions on a project called The Courage of Your Convictions - a 13-part documentary series for SABC 2 that explores the idea of ‘Everyday Heroes’ by telling stories of extraordinary acts of courage by ordinary people. By locating acts of bravery and heroism within the quotidian,the series aims to raise important questions for its audience about the possibility of courageousness in their own lives and the importance of their own convictions: “What is a hero?” “What would I do?” “Am I willing to sacrifice my life for something I believe in?”

In 13 parts, the series aims to portray a variety of SA landscapes, cultures, languages and settings – telling stories of heroism from various ‘walks of life’ and settings.

During the research phase, we are gathering a total of 26 stories, from a wide range of sources, including the police and rescue services, journalists and community organisations.

We intend to celebrate people who have acted bravely or with courage despite great odds against them and great danger to their own lives – people who have been willing to endanger themselves to help others or save the lives of others. Perhaps in the end, this person has lost something in their lives, they cannot walk, they have lost their eye-sight, they have been severely burned, they have lost their jobs, but, in doing so, they helped someone else get one more chance at life.

I am contacting newspapers across the country in my search for stories. We need help accessing any stories that might fit into the series- contact details follow for anyone who might have a story to share .

Palesa Shongwe,

073 527 4403/ 011 486 0990

palesa@dzugudapro.co.za

ENDS

READERS WRITE A WAKE UP CALL FOR RATEPAYERS

Sir,

The above article in last week’s Gazette has reference.

It is naive to think that placing adverts for the IDP, Budget and other meetings in out of town publications is going to uplift us economically, or bring people and business into Umvoti.

If we:

1.improved our crumbling infrastructure,

2.have a stable source of clean water,

3.keep rates and service charges increases to inflation levels, and

4.stop million of rands of wasteful expenditure,

we would be uplifted economically and people and business would come to Umvoti.

D.A.Councillor P. Buss

ENDS

Tutor celebrates students’ success stories

Since 2004 when Karen Oellermann opened TUTOR Education Consultancy hundreds of local students have benefited from her dedicated programmes to assist scholars.

Tutor, was designed by Pietermaritzburg educators, Andrew and Sue Parfitt in 2002 . They developed the highly successful individualized programmes which ensure one on one personal and individual attention. There are now centres throughout South Africa attended by hundreds of children each week.

In 2004 only English and Maths lessons were offered to learners from Grade 1 to Grade 7 but Karen soon realised the need for Afrikaans and high school maths and programmes were carefully designed to cater for Grades 1 to 12. Tutor classes are held at 190 Cathcart Street with an average of 60 children attending per week.

Karen through Tutor stays abreast of developments in education .New challenges have resulted in a computerised reading programme introduced in 2007 to improve the quality of reading,grammar, vocabulary in English and Afrikaans. This has proved to be so successful that universities are now using it to assist their students to excel in languages. A Language Clinic was introduced in 2008 specifically for children with English as a second language.

Over the past five years TUTOR Education Consultancy has maintained its goals to improve children’s self confidence, to instill a positive attitude to their studies and produce good results .Karen Oellermann of TUTOR told the Greytown Gazette that “there is a programme for each individual need and to parents’ pockets...its awesome to see how the children flourish with a new zest for school work and a positive attitude all round.”

Karen expressed her thanks to all who had been involved over the past five and half years who have helped to make Tutor the success it is.

For further information contact Karen on 083 291 6389,

Karen Oellermann

ENDS

GNOMING IN THE GARDEN

The topic of conversation at this time of the year is like a hardy annual. “Do you enjoy Winter more than Summer”?

As I have not experienced winter here,in Howick, I am quite nervous about this subject, especially as I see shrubs and trees being wrapped for frost protection.

What wonderful rain we have had but soon this will disappear as we head into the cold season. So like a hardy annual I appeal to you to MULCH. The plants, trees and shrubs all need their winter blanket. The wonderful result of the blanket is that by spring it has rotted and you have a blanket of well rotted compost.

Roses still need a bit of attention. A light dressing of Bounce/accelerator and 515 - this will ensure a super Autumn flush.

All the Namaqualand daisies are up .. but I burnt the first lot by overdoing the chicken manure.

Bulbs should be planted now. I am going to try planting some Sparaxis and Ixia, endeavoring to plant indigenous.

The herbs are doing so well. Parsley...people think its celery it has grown so enormous, Basil knee high but the Sage that was looking so good suddenly died. Quite a mystery. I love sage in the flower garden as it is so pretty in Spring when it flowers. Rosemary is also so lovely growing as a small shrub in the flower garden. Not only do I cook with it I use it in flower arrangements. The blue flowers really do add to the effect and it slips so easily

Lettuce can still be planted and a few planted at regular intervals will always find a place on the dinner table.

Autumn is the very best time to plant shrubs and even trees. The weather should have cooled and although the shrubs do not grow much by planting now they have time to dig their toes in , settle down and by Spring they are up an away. They will really outstrip anything planted in Spring.

Remember, the bigger the square hole, not round please, the better. Dig as deep as you like. When finished fill the hole with water, let that seep away then mix the top soil with a well rotted compost. Place the shrub/ tree in the hole, making sure you do not plant too deep. The base of the stem should be level with the ground If the plant is root bound, gently break away some of the roots, these will then get into the corners of the square hole. Leave a dish shape round the plant and then soak with water. NEVER pile the soil UP against the stem. This will cause the water to run away not into the shrub and the ants will have a wonderful time!

Happy Gardening.!

21 April 2010

FABULOUS! FANTASTIC! FINAL MMC AT SHALOM

A superb display of comprehensive and co-ordinated organisation resulted in a hassle free grand finale for the 300 to 350 000 men at the 2010 Mighty Men conference, led by Angus Buchan, at Shalom last weekend.

There cannot be many places in the world which would, or could cope with such an invasion ...they came by air; by road; on foot; on horseback; on motorbikes and all with the one aim to be there to hear Angus on their role of protecting and leading their families in their homes and in society. And also to be part of the incredible fellowship network of those thousands of men, young and old. Perhaps because it was the last opportunity to be part of such a unique event many brought their young sons along to experience the impact.

Seated on hay bales round the 360 square metre stage with big screens dotted around to enable all to see and hear (including deaf signs) the atmosphere was intense but joyous as the thousands listened to Angus deliver his message of strength, hope and belief in the future of this country.

Despite the enormous number of vehicles on the roads leading to Greytown and Shalom the traffic flowed smoothly - Greytown traffic and Provincial traffic officers played a major role in this as did the excellent organisation by Shalom in ensuring the colour coded campers were taking correct access roads to get to their sites. Helicopters buzzed around monitoring traffic, providing security, taking photos and giving lifts to those who flew in.

On Saturday, when the morning session ended at 11 there was a mass exodus as the visitors drove into Greytown to purchase food and other items before the afternoon session at 5 p.m. There were solid lines of vehicles with drivers being tempted by the smell of braaiing, cooking food along the way from pavement food stands set up for the day. Supermarkets also reported a busy three days. On the accommodation front all b and b's were full. 800 visitors camped at the Greytown High School and in the classrooms - more were at Hermannsburg and New Hanover schools.

Although this was the final MMC at Shalom Angus is definitely not retiring - he has many preaching commitments in various parts of the world and will be seen regularly on television as he continues to deliver his message of hope.

A LONG WALK TO MIGHTY MEN

Danie Liebenberg on the last leg of his mission carrying a cross from Gauteng to the Mighty Men Conference.

ENDS

POTHOLE CAUSES DEATH!

Tragedy struck a young man on his way home from MMC2010 when travelling on his motorbike he hit a pothole and was thrown off. The accident occurred on Sunday morning round about 10 on the R74 about 15 kms from Greytown.

For many months many road users have complained about the appalling state of the roads and the number of potholes - some of which are filled on a temporary basis but as soon the first rains come-a deeper pothole develops.

Will it take the tragic and unnecessary death of this man for the authorities to finally take positive action on all the roads in the area?

ENDS

BUTTERFLY CENSUS

Mhlopeni Nature Reserve Muden is the focus in the district for the national butterfly census taking place this weekend.

Anyone interested in taking an active part in this very special event is asked to please phone Joy Alcock at Mhlopeni on 033 496 1722

ENDS

GREYTOWN COUNTRY CLUB NEWS

Wednesday Golf was won by R Chiazzari and S van der Merwe on 42 points.

At Friday evening’s attendance draw Jenny Cowie lost out on the prize money. The next draw is on Friday, 23 April with R600 for the taking.

At the weekend we had 113 visitors take on our lovely golf course. Thank you Mighty Men, our weekend was a great success.

PANNAR golf day takes place on Saturday, 1 May. The tournament will be scored in a 4BBB format. The entry fee is only R100 and includes halftime refreshments and dinner. To enter please phone Elmarie on 033 417 2441 or place your name on entry form on the notice board at the Club. There will be great prizes to be won, so come and enjoy the day with us.

Dates to diarise:

1 May - PANNAR Golf Day

8 May - Monthly Mug

29 May - Sanlam Cancer Challenge

30 May - Ladies Invitation

ENDS

A WAKE UP CALL FOR RATEPAYERS

Two meetings to be held in Greytown this week are of great financial importance to all ratepayers and residents, as well as to the future development of Umvoti, and the Greytown Gazette would like to urge all ratepayers to attend them.

On Wednesday at 4 p.m. a meeting to discuss the 2010/11 draft budget and IDP has been called although Council has not yet discussed a rates policy or rate increases. Although this item was on the agenda for discussion at the Council meeting on 29 March, it was not discussed. This was in spite of the fact that DA Councillor Paul Buss had pointed out that the budget was shown incorrectly as if it was for 2009/10 and that there were a number of other errors.

In their wisdom, the Mayor and his officials have decided to use out-of-town newspapers to advertise Wednesday’s meeting, as well as an important Municipal Turnaround strategy meeting on Friday.

These advertisements have been placed in two limited-circulation out of Umvoti papers at a total cost to ratepayers of R33 521.86. These advertisements, over four full pages, were also placed in Umvoti Light, at a cost that has not been declared..

The same advertisements in the Greytown Gazette would have cost R2 655.70.

Out of concern for ratepayers, the Greytown Gazette has written to the Speaker and opposition party Councillors to point out this excessive and unnecessary expenditure, but at no stage did the Editor state that the Greytown Gazette should have been used instead of any other newspaper. The Gazette’s main concern is that the communities of Umvoti should be kept informed of what is happening.

”We understand that Greytown Gazette is a local newspaper but note that as the person advertising we have the right to choose which papers we advertise in as explained to you by the previous Acting Municipal Manager.

“The reason we advertise in the Witness, Illanga and the Mercury is that we can get people outside Umvoti taking an interest in Umvoti and hopefully uplifting us economically. The Umvoti Light is also a local newspaper and we feel that everyone, in this case, newspapers, should we given equal business and therefore we also advertise in the Umvoti Light. You will also notice that we are to date still advertising in the Greytown Gazette.

“As for the cost of the advert, each newspaper has its own tariff and if we wish to reach our target audience will have to pay that price as mentioned before. If we want to bring people and business into Umvoti we will have to advertise in outside newspapers. Once again I wish to remind you that we reserve the right to advertise. “

The Editor reiterates that at no stage - now, previously or in the future - has the Greytown Gazette insisted, demanded or claimed that the Municipality must advertise in it. As it has a circulation of 10 000 throughout Umvoti, with a readership of up to six people per copy in the rural areas, it probably has the widest coverage of any newspaper among the local community.

Comment from the ANC on the calling of a budget meeting is as follows: “ANC Councillors are shocked by the IFP’s unilateral action to advertise the proposed rate increases without these being discussed in Council and that the legislative requirement of a rates policy has not been tabled or discussed. We are very perturbed at this high handed action and will certainly take further action.”

DA Councillor Paul Buss views with grave concern the wasteful expenditure by the Municipality in using out-of-town newspapers, thus not performing one of its core functions to keep residents and ratepayers fully informed of matters of importance to them.

The Greytown Gazette appeals to all interested parties to please attend these important meetings to ensure, through their input, a viable economic future for Umvoti.

ENDS

READERS WRITE

Woes of the communication network:

Sir,

First a query for Telkom - what has happened to having pride in your work? Driving around Umvoti telephone poles are lying on the ground, sagging, dangling wires, burnt poles, rotten poles, trees over poles for months on end and so on. Surely when the Telkom chaps drive past damaged lines they could make a plan to get them fixed

I have been without a phone for 3 months, it has been reported over and over again - last time I reported was 26th March and then a miracle happened it was repaired on 14th April

I have forwarded my cell phone account to Telkom for payment. I signed a contract with Telkom to provide me with a service, they charge line charges every month which did not work. I will pay for the services provided, but have come to the conclusion as Telkom has breached the contract it is liable for all costs incurred by me in order to have communication.

I signed a contract with Vodacom for 2 years to be able to use the internet and my cellphone. For 3 weeks I was without internet and had limited use of the cellphone. Who has breached the contract? The towers are giving massive problems. To think I am supposed to be living in civilization in the Dalton area but the only means of any communication at all I have is to get in my car and drive along the road to see if I can get lucky and pick up a signal to phone.

I have reported this to Vodacom customer care with little success, for a few days it works and then its back to dark ages again.

In the first round of the champs Chris Fisher had a walk over against Ernie Weykes, Brian Paul lost to Jacques Minnaar in a closely contested match. Tom Redfern had a bye and went through to the second round and Roy Thomson lost his match to Gerhard Balzer.

On Saturday afternoon it was Chris Fischer against Jacques Minnaar in the first of the semi finals with Chris eventually winning the game 21 - 17. The other semi final match was Tom Redfern against Gerhard Balzer, Tom played magnificent bowls but just could not match the more experienced Gerhard who won the game 21 - 13. Gerhard Balzer and Chris Fischer faced each other in the finals on Sunday afternoon. Chris was up 13 - 5 when the Sunday afternoon hail storm interrupted play! At the time of going to press it had not been decided when the finals will be played.

Our thoughts and wishes go to Ernie Weykes’ wife who underwent a back operation recently.

Sannie Balzer teamed up with Gina Gebers and Anne Williams from Wartburg over the weekend to compete in the Underberg “Trips” tournament. Sannie reported that the girls had a fantastic weekend of competitive bowls as well as enjoying the social side.

From the ditch

ENDS

14 April 2010

A SPATE OF ARMED ROBBERIES IN DISTRICT

Armed robbers attacked four different targets in Greytown and district on Monday injuring three people and getting away with an unknown amount of cash.

Round about ten a.m. shoppers and staff dived for cover as a gang of at least 12 armed men started shooting at random to get to their target -the G4S security vehicle collecting cash from Aheers Powertrade in Durban Street.

Two people were hit and injured by the flying bullets -security guard, Jakob Duffy who was later rushed through to a Pietermaritzburg hospital and a shopper Ms Slindile Mhlongwa. Another G4S employee Johan Steenberg was slightly injured by shrapnel ricochet

.As three cases of cash were in the process of being loaded at least of the six robbers opened fire and two of the boxes were taken. There were another six members of the gang who were also shooting-they made their escape in a gold Mercedes 180 Kompressor with ND number plates and a black Corsa bakkie which had been parked in the forecourt. The vehicles had driven off in the direction of Kranskop.

A witness, Jacob van Niekerk said that he had been outside for a smoke, had seen the security vehicle draw up and then heard a bang - he said ”I thought the boxes had been dropped but then saw a lady lying on the ground and screaming.” `He said people were running around in fear - a number of vehicles were hit by stray bullets.

Police personnel, and a Police helicopter and Field Security responded to the alert and chased the gang. The two vehicles were found abandoned on the Nadi road later that afternoon. An intensive search is underway for the robbers.

On Monday evening at 6 p.m. wellknown Ahrens businessman Abie Surendorff was shot and seriously injured during an armed robbery at the Welgegund Garage. According to a Police spokesman the security guard had been frogmarched at gunpoint by two armed robbers to the office to get money.Abie had come out of the office into the passage and had punched the one robber who then fired at him. He is in a stable condition - Field Security personnel and Police were rapidly on the scene and Field’s Sudesh Maharaj took Abie to hospital for treatment.

An intensive search is underway for the robbers - any information to Inspector Mbambo 033 413 9134.

Kranskop Chief of Police Caroline Minnaar said that on Monday a tavern owner in Kranskop had been held up by armed robbers who took a considerable amount of cash and a tuck shop at Olifantshoek had also been held up by armed robbers.

ends

GREYTOWN COUNTRY CLUB NEWS

Welcome back to everyone who went away for the holidays. We hope that you had a wonderful time and are well rested and happy to be back safely.

Mascor Monthly Mug was played on Saturday 3 April and the results are:

1st - B Oehme on 68 points (count out)

2nd - D Khumalo on 68 points

3rd - B Zuma on 69 points

Best Stableford: S van der Merwe on 36 points.

Results of Wednesday’s golf competition on 7 ApriL:

Winner: M Steyn on 44 points

2nd: S Bondesio on 42 points.

On Friday evening Roy Harris lost out on the attendance draw prize money. The next draw is on Friday 16 April at 18:30. There is R500 for the taking, but remember you have to be in attendance to win.

Club Championships were played on Saturday 10 April and Sunday 11 April. We would like to thank everyone who entered this event.

RESULTS:A Division

1st: R Mhlangeni on 149 points

2nd: M Zakwe on 155

B Division

1st: MP Khumalo on 176 points

2nd: S Bondesio on 178

C Division

1st: S van der Merwe on 186 points

2nd: G Larkan (jnr) on 188

Seniors

1st: B Oehme on 74 points

The Umvoti Cup went to R Mhlangeni on 141 points. Congratulations to all the winners and a very big thank you to Stan Clarke for his contributions to the competition.

The annual PANNAR Golf Day will take place on Saturday 1 May. It takes a 4BBB format and entry is only R100, which includes refreshments and supper. Please contact Elmarie on 033 4172441 to enter or write your name on the entry form on the notice board at the Club. There are great prizes to be won. Please support this day.

Dates to diarise:

1 May - PANNAR Golf Day

8 May - Mascor Monthly Mug

29 May - Sanlam Cancer Challenge

30 May – Ladies’ Invitation Day

ends

UMVOTI RESIDENTS WELCOME MMC2010 T0 GREYTOWN

Thousands and thousands of men from South Africa, Africa and Europe are on their way to Greytown to spend this weekend at the seventh and final Mighty Men Conference at Shalom to listen to Angus Buchan who has selected “Watchmen of the house” as the theme this year.

Estimates at the time of going to press are that 300 to 400 000 men could be present at this very unique event. From Durban to Stanger, and all posts in between, accommodation is totally booked out -hotels, bed and breakfasts and a number of private homes which have been let out. At Shalom itself the five camping sites are filling up, as are the tent towns at Greytown High School, New Hanover School, Hermannsburg School and private camping land.

To ensure the smooth running of the conference with as little disruption as possible to the community, main organiser Andy Buchan and his team have been at it since July last year. Last Saturday Andy took time out from his hectic schedule to brief a group of interested residents on the intensive action that has been undertaken.

There are five colour coded camp sites - on surrounding farmlands. These campers pay R150 for the weekend which goes to the farmers who have not planted crops so that there is enough land available for the thousands who attend. Access to these camps is identified through the colour and direction e.g. from Colenso; from Dundee; Mooi River, Pietermaritzburg etc. Provincial RTI will be assisting with traffic flow, in addition to locals and have made two helicopters available to monitor the flow and prevent any buildups in Greytown or on the access roads.

Security is well taken care of. SAPS are honing their skills here in anticipation of the World Cup! There will be mounted Police, Police on Motorbikes and private security.

Because of the number expected no food will be served -snacks and cooldrinks only. Fast food outlets in Greytown and supermarkets can expect to be exceptionally busy from Friday. Campers have been requested to take their own food and gas cooking equipment - no open fires are allowed.

Two thousand shower heads have been set up on the sites - campers will be allocated a shower time slot and special biological soap so as not to pollute the environment. Plastic lined bacterial toilets have been set up .

Day visitors are requested to obtain their colour coded pink sticker from Engen Garage in Durban Street - special day visitors parking is along D220 and on the Mispah (silo) road at Shalom. There are also special facilities for handicapped visitors and on the big screens round the stage and the ampitheatre the hearing disadvantaged will be able to “hear” Angus through sign language being shown in the corner of the screens.

As can be imagined in between the sessions thousands of cellphones are brought into operation- to ensure continuous service Vodacom has installed 72 dishes and MTN 24 ! Shalom personnel and volunteers will communicate via radio-3 repeaters with 5 frequencies and 45 channels will be in operation.

First session is on Friday night at 7; Saturday 9 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. and on Sunday there is a family service, women welcome, at 9 a.m. Because of the volume of traffic expected the organisers have requested that there will be no exit from Shalom from 6 a.m. on Friday until 11 a.m. on Saturday-obviously excluding emergencies.

Residents are reminded to fill up vehicles with petrol by Thursday the latest; to stock up on basic fooodstuffs and water ; and to welcome the thousands of visitors to Greytown and district. Through Angus Buchan and Shalom Greytown has become known throughout the world hopefully together with the MMC message of peace. love, discipline and care

Its non stop as all the facets slot in for this year’s MMC staring on Friday evening. Overall MMC co-ordinator Andy Buchan briefed a group on the various facilities last Saturday. The stage has been moved to a natural ampitheatre ...three giant television , weighing 3 and half tonnes each will be mounted on the stage to ensure that all can see and hear Angus as he preaches and prays.

ends

EASTER POLOCROSSE TOURNAMENT

.

The new polocrosse season got off to an excellent start with the Tegwaans Easter Tournament held at Noodsberg over the Easter weekend.

Congratulations to Damien O’Sullivan on his selection to the South African U/16 squad to play Australia in July. Damien already has his National Colours, having played U/14 against Ireland. The Australians, however, will be much stronger than the Irish and will be a real test of the standard of South African junior polocrosse. With Damien in the U/16 squad are Graeme Mc Larty. Johann Strauss and Ross Beukes.

Of the many Umvoti players who participated in the various divisions only Cavan O’Sullivan’s section and Dean Flower’s section had any success. Cavan had Angus Fitton and Tim Halley in his section. Playing in Maritzburg College colours, they won all their games to take the Junior C division title. Dean played with Ryan Gibbs and Mathew During. Playing in Weston colours they won the Junior B Division.

Steve Gilson, Patrick O’Sullivan and Jarryd Jacklin had the worst possible draw, the bottom of the A division. Losing their first two games, they did well to win their final game against the very powerful Richmond A side of Gavin Cocker, Scott Hosking and Tony Higgs.

Damien O’Sullivan joined Alister Armitage and Ross Beukes and came third in the Junior A division. Alice Gilmore, Ulrich Bosse and Thembi Madonsela were in the same division. Things did not go well for Alice’s section and they will be hoping for a much improved performance on their next outing.

Caroline Minnaar, Vanessa Williams and Jane O’Sullivan won their first two games to reach the final of the C division. They were unfortunate to lose the final in a sudden death play-off. Playing in Wembley College colours, Camryn Minnaar , Ruth O’Sullivan and Sam Gilson played in the junior D division. Surprise winners of that division were the Dunboy team of Skumbuza Xaba, Trent Cocker and Jacquie Minnaar. Skumbuza, a product of the Dunboy Riding School development programme, was playing in his first tournament and did exceptionally well. At the closing function, he was presented with a new helmet and a polocrosse racquet.

A tournament to look forward to is the Southern Natal Championships which will be held at Noodsberg on the weekend of April 24/25. Coming up also is the Umvoti tournament which will be held at Merthley Lake on the weekend of the 29/30 May. The Umvoti tournament is very popular and well attended. Visitors seem to enjoy the pleasant surroundings, the relaxed atmosphere and the high-standard but fun polocrosse.

ends

readers write

PLEASE CONTACT DON’T ABANDON!

Sir,

We can only hope that that the black and white kitten (with collar) found outside our gate last week has been lost by someone – if so please contact SPCA.

If not, it would appear that this kitten was callously abandoned outside our gate, thrown away like some unwanted rubbish – if this is the case, where is your conscience or humanity? If we had not found the kitten he could have starved to death, strangled himself by his un-elasticized collar hooking on some object, or been killed by marauding dogs.

There is no need for animals to be thrown over our fence – all that is needed is to bring the animal to us or merely to phone us on 033-4172274 and we will collect your unwanted animal.

Sylvan Havemann

Greytown SPCA

ends

HAS TELKOM “LOST” SEVEN OAKS?

Sir

On 8th March 2010 the telephone lines serving the Seven Oaks area were stolen. The poles had been cut, and these were replaced in a matter of days. There is however, still no telephone service to the many farmers in the area.

It is incomprehensible that an organisation which boasts the ability to provide a world class service to the world during the forthcoming World Cup, can take so long to replace a line in open country!

Perhaps Telkom have been led to believe that Seven Oaks does not exist - please let them know otherwise. People are living there!

TONY DUTTON

”Came”

SEVEN OAKS.

ends

A Conservation thank you

Sir,

For many years, the Greytown Honorary Officers, on behalf of the Wildlands Trust, (previously known as the KZN Conservation Trust), have collected the money from the collection boxes placed at the tills of some local retail outlets.

Until March 2009, the total sum collected was paid over to the Trust. Subsequent to this date, arrangements were made for half the proceeds to be returned to the Honorary Officers to provide funding for projects in this area.

So Umvoti’s half share of the funds raised for conservation will be directed towards such projects as: building of a new bird hide on the Umvoti Vlei, as the existing one is almost inaccessible, as a result of the walkway having been destroyed by fire; a projected cleanup of the Greytown stream including eradication of alien vegetation on the banks ; as well as a clean up in the area of the Wild Flower Reserve at Lake Merthley.

For readers who are not acquainted with the aims and objectives of the Ezemvelo Honorary Officers, they embody the following:

To promote the interests of EKZNW in all possible spheres;

To render all possible assistance to EKZNW

To promote the learning and understanding of all aspects of the environment amongst its members and the public

Honorary Officers volunteer their services, gratis, to supplement and support the staff of EKZNW

We wish to thank those who support the fundraising efforts for conservation by dropping their small change into the boxes and the rhino, and would like to assure them that the funds will be put to good use in our district and further afield through the Wildlands Trust.

Vic Schutte

Nic Klaprott

On behalf of Ezemvelo Honorary Officers

ends

St Cathryn’s News

With most of the “ Big Guns” out of town or injured the green keeper snatched the opportunity to win the Farmers Agri- Care Monthly Mug, played on Saturday 10 April . He had to grab and run because Paul Els and Piet Coetzee pushed him to the limit.

The “ Big Guns”.....Rikus Kloppers - over in the UK, Klaus Kluver with work pressures , Merwin Rabe, on leave, Kevin Williams, nursing an injury, Barry Oehme and Mbongeni Khumalo, both playing in Greytown.

The weather started with very low cloud, low temperatures and misty conditions which cleared up later in the day, somewhat different from Friday’s Berg wind conditions.

Results :

1st : Piet Nel nett 65

2nd : Paul Els nett 68

3rd : Brian James nett 69 oco from Steve Nel.

Nearest to Pin 9/18th : Steve Nel

Captains Putter : Maria Beijers.

Two Club : Liekie Steyn a marvelous chip in on the 9th.

All our members are awaiting the arrival of the” mighty men golfers “ who have made bookings for Friday morning tee off times.

May fixtures:

1st May: Chipping Competition at Schulfest.

8th May: Greytown Feeding Project Golf Day.

15th May Farmers Agri-Care Monthly Mug.

To book for golf please phone Piet : 033 4441945 and 083 269 1661 and to book for meals please phone Paul and Tanya : 084 5966 292.

ends

No respect for law states Judge

In handing down a life sentence to the man responsible for the Wartburgerhof Hotel murders Judge Kate Pillay said “society was fed-up with violent crime”. Although 35 year old Muntukayise Ngubane had not pulled the trigger himself, the Judge said that he had instigated the crime which had resulted in the senseless killing of Siggie and Ingrid Schadle -it had been at his request that at least one firearm was carried into the robbery.

Ngubane, his co-accused, Funokwakhe Nxwane who was found not guilty and acquitted last week, Lucky Mbonami who turned State witness and three others, two of whom were still on the run whilst the third was dead, had planned to rob the hotel.The accused had worked at the hotel but had been fired after allegations that he had stolen meat .

Judge Pillay said that Ngubane had planned the robbery meticulously and carefully and knew that the victims would be easy targets.

On the day of the killings, 7th November 2007, the gang had entered the hotel -Nxwane had pointed a gun at Ingrid Schadle who was behind the front counter, whilst Ngubane had walked through to an office where he knew the safe was kept. On hearing gunshots he had rushed to the front counter where he had seen one of the gang, who was still on the run, shoot Ingrid. Ngubane claimed he had then run outside.

Ngubane’s lawyer, Kelvin Singh, had urged the court to find compelling and substantial circumstances to justify less than life imprisonment but the Judge said she had given earnest consideration to these submissions but the Court had to measure the seriousness of the offences and their impact on society against these factors. The whole machinery which led to the death of these two defenseless people had been set in motion by the accused. She believed therefore that taking everything into account there were no circumstances to justify anything less than life.

The accused was also sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Judge Pillay said in her summing up “there is absolutely no respect for law in this country. It is sad had to constantly live in fear.”

ends

7 April 2010

WARTBURG AND GREYTOWN KILLERS FOUND GUILTY OF BRUTAL SHOOTINGS

One of the two men accused of the murder of Ingrid and Siggie Schadle at their Wartburg hotel in November 2007,was found guilty by Judge Kate Pillay , sitting with assessors, in the High Court Pietermaritzburg last Wednesday. 35 year old Muntukayise Ngubane, a former employee at Wartburger Hof, was convicted of the murders as well as attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Ngubane and his co-accused Funokwakhwe Nxwane, aged 42, had both pleaded not guilty. Judge Pillay acquitted Nxwane ,stating that the evidence against him fell short of proving, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he was involved in the offences .

Ngubane had admitted in his evidence, that he, Nc wane, and three others, two of whom are on still on the run and a third who had died, had planned to rob the hotel. He admitted that he had planned the attempted robbery but maintained he had told the men not to harm the couple as they were old and would not put up any resistance. Judge Pillay submitted that in her view, Ngubane must have foreseen that something could go horribly wrong if a firearm was taken into a volatile situation like a robbery. If they intended not to use a firearm , why then was Ngubane’s initial instruction that no one was to be killed queried the Judge who rejected his version as false and said he was an “unmitigated liar.”

Arguing for the State, advocate Mcanyana said that the evidence against Ngubane was overwhelming and he should be handed the life sentence. Ngubane’s attorney ,Kelvin Singh called for the Court to impose a lesser sentence, submitting that there were compelling and substantial mitigating factors - Ngubane had been fairly young at the time; he was a first offender ; had co-operated with the Police after his arrest and had not fired the fatal shots. In reply to this Judge Pillay remarked that if Ngubane had not planned the robbery the Schadles would be alive today. She found the murders “sad and senseless” -an elderly totally defenseless couple from whom the robbers could easily have taken what they wanted in the hotel without any killing or violence.

Sentencing will take place today, Wednesday 7th April.

Last Thursday, two men were convicted of the “brutal and senseless” murder of Rinesh Maharaj of Greytown and were sentenced to life plus 15 years imprisonment in Pietermaritzburg High Court.

Judge Gregory Kruger sentenced Mondli Nxumalo and Jabulani Chonco to life plus 15 years each and Bongani Sibisi who was convicted of being an accessory after the fact and of robbery with aggravating circumstances was given an effective 15 years.

Evidence led by state witness showed that Nxumalo and Chonco assaulted Maharaj and then forced him to accompany them in his employer’s vehicle , which he had been driving, in order to extract his bank card number. Having done this they left the bank card for Sibisi to take . After informing Sibisi where the card was, he had with two women in his company, found the card and withdrawn R 1 000 from an ATM.

Nxumalo and Chonco drove Maharaj to a deserted place and shot him. Judge Kruger said they “they could easily had just left him there” and had said the that the accused had used an R4or R5 assault rifle to commit the murder had aggravated this senseless and brutal killing. As these weapons were reserved exclusively for the armed services or Police the Judge queried how the killers had come into possession of such a weapon.

Rinesh , who was 30 years old when he was killed on 30 June 2006 was a wellknown and popular Greytown resident.

ends

MDR PATIENTS SUCESSFULLY COMPLETE TREATMENT

There was a feeling of joy and hope as MDR TB patients at the Greytown Hospital were presented with certificates to show that they had completed the two years of treatment and are living normal lives as members of their communities.

As it was World TB day on 31st March, it was felt it was an apt time to congratulate the 18 patients who had completed the treatment for multi drug resistant tuberculosis. Since Greytown MDR TB hospital and clinic opened two years ago it has had a successful rate of completed treatment.

Greytown is part of the innovative approach whereby patients are only hospitalised until they are clinically well and are then treated at their homes by injection teams who visit on a daily basis. The injection teams are made up of nurses and homebased carers as well as the MDR hospital staff and TB DOTS representatives,This has contributed considerably to the success rate in that patients do not have to spend the full two years of treatment in hospital.

Currently 194 patients are being treated through the Greytown MDR TB clinic - this is in addition to the 18 successful men and women.

Emphasis by health officials is that tuberculosis can be cured -the theme “stop TB because you can” is being promoted throughout the country. It is estimated that mi8llions in South Africa are suffering from TB and that the rate is compounded by the high incidence of HIV/AIDS. But the important thing is that if action is taken early and treatment initiated and followed through there can be complete recovery.

Umvoti’s ongoing Municipal Manager saga reached a peak three years ago when the MEC for Local Government, Housing and Traditional Affairs applied to Pietermaritzburg High Court Pietermaritzburg for an urgent order to set aside a resolution taken by Umvoti Council to appoint Mr M. Yengwa (Umzinyathi District Mayor) as Municipal Manager of Umvoti. The MEC brought the case on the grounds that certain Councillors had voted contrary to his directions in appointing Mr Yengwa to the position as he did not qualify in that he did not have the required qualifications as specified in r38(1) of Local Government Municipal Systems Act regulations.

However the 11 IFP Councillors had considered Yengwa to be appropriately qualified, despite his lack of academic qualifications. At this meeting Umvoti ANC and DA Councillors recorded that they would not be party to any illegal action on the part of Council and in view of possible legal action and resulting costs requested that the names of the Councillors in favour of the appointment be recorded.

The High Court dismissed the MEC’s application for costs as well as finding that the regulation (r38(1)) for appointment to the post was unconstitutional. He then took the matter on to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein which , last month, rejected the appeal by the MEC to obtain costs against the Umvoti Municipal Councillors. The Supreme Court held that since the issue between the parties had ceased to exist as Yengwa had withdrawn by the time of the case, it was no longer necessary for the court to deal with the validity of the regulation. The appellant was ordered to pay the costs of the 11 Councillors involved.

Appeal Court Judge J.A. Mthiyane in delivering judgement stated “this appeal is about costs, in fact much ado about nothing, because if the appellant had brought reason to bear on the matter from the outset, this case would not have come to this court”

The Greytown Gazette approached Umvoti Mayor Petros Ngubane for comment on the Appeal Court ruling but at the time of going to press no statement had been received.

As mentioned at the start of this report the position of Municipal Manager in Umvoti appears to be jinxed. After the resignation of Dr Len Mortimer in June 2005 the position was advertised three times prior to the approval of Mr M.S. Yengwa in May 2007. The Umvoti Mayor, Mr P. Ngubane applied for the position of Municipal Manager in July 2006 and was included in the final list of candidates. This was then put on hold by the KZN Minister of Local Government who in February 2007 stated that “Councillor Ngubane’s application be excluded from the recruitment process.”

As a result the position was again advertised and out of 36 applicants, Yengwa was chosen as the successful candidate by the IFP majority of Umvoti Council ...despite his eventual non-acceptance this led to the High Court and Supreme Court action through Province.

So it was back to the old familiar governance of acting Municipal Managers. But then in September 2009, after another series of advertisements Hamilton Nothings was appointed to the post on the recommendation of the Council interview committee (no ANC or DA Councillors) which claimed that it was aware of the fact that Mr Shangase had been suspended by the Department of Arts and Culture on being found guilty of R1.2 million rand misdemeanours whilst serving as deputy Director.

But in September 2009 the IFP led Council decided not to renew Ntshangase’s one year contract...and since then, on the strength of an EXCO recommendation, the various HOD’s are taking it in three months spells to serve as acting Municipal Manager. It is understood that with the local Government elections looming in 2011 that no permanent Municipal Manager will be appointed in Umvoti until after the elections!

And so the saga continues...

ends

AMAZING ANTIRRHINUMS AKA SNAPDRAGONS!

Ideal for bringing striking colour into the garden

antirrhinums can be grown throughout the year in most parts of the country. March, April and May are ideal months to plant out the seedlings. They have just enough time to settle themselves in before the depths of winter, readying themselves for a glorious spring and early summer display. Snapdragons tolerate light frost so can still be planted in the colder parts of the country.

Antirrhinums are easy to grow in any well-drained, reasonably fertile, garden soil, but prefer a light or medium loam – so add in plenty of compost when preparing the bed. The soil needs to be kept relatively moist, so water deeply every 5 days or so. They like a warm, sunny location, but in a hot climate perform better in partial shade. Put the plants where they will receive good air movement to prevent the fungal disease or rust taking hold.

No, no diamonds have been discovered here, but we do have gems in other forms. If you turn off the Pmburg/Greytown road after the garage and take the Dalton road, you might notice a church steeple amongst the trees near the top of the rise. A few surprises await you there in the form of a unique “village” which has developed around the New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church. This is not a village in the sense of having shopping facilities but I doubt you would find anything quite like it anywhere in South Africa. We in New Hanover are very proud of what has been achieved.

It was decided by the congregation to build a facility to care for our aged and the new part of the project was unveiled by its first resident, Mrs. Sieglinde Bartels ,in 2003. Many visitors have expressed their delighted surprise when they see the residence for the first time and many have commented that it is a real home from home.

The new building , built adjacent to the original school hostel, was designed around a centre court and now also includes a frail care facility. There are two live-in nursing sisters and the matron, Mrs. Sonja Ortmann, lives only a few minutes drive away.

Further conversions took place when the old hostel had to close as it was no longer financially viable and flatlets were built for couples with their own dining room which serves up good old-fashioned home cooking lovingly and imaginatively prepared.

Of course finances are always a problem. The congregation proceeded in faith, loans were taken out and a huge amount of fund raising goes on continuously as there are no subsidies to rely on. Careful budgeting by dedicated volunteers from the congregation ensures that the fees are as affordable as possible but there are always special needs which have to be covered. Many activities take place organised by various people including the residents themselves who take great delight in doing fund raising themselves!

“Brunfelsia” is the Botanical name for what is commonly known as the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow shrub. Its a fitting name as there are two schools in the church grounds as well as a retirement complex known as Brunfelsia Park. Instead of being isolated ,our senior citizens can interact with the children as they are free to stroll around the sportsfields , listen to happy laughter from the swimming pool & attend school concerts on a regular basis.

The nursing staff are loving , caring and dedicated volunteers from the congregation are always available to” fill in “should the need arise.All this has come about because of a “can do” attitude and all the hard work ( which is ongoing ) has paid off to the extent that there is now a waiting list with congregants having first choice. Of course the cherry on top is the fact that residents can walk to services in the Church and newly inducted pastor (Dieter Klee ) takes a special interest in the wellbeing of our elderly.

A visiting speaker from PMB who came to talk to the residents recently paid the ultimate compliment when she said it was the best residence for the aged she had ever seen! With the well cared for gardens, happy residents and many visitors, you can feel the love which after all is what we all need and deserve in our twilight years.

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Shadow column

Greytown Gazette publishes a monthly Shadow Column listing events to take place throughout the year. Main objective is to notify the public of what is scheduled to take place, or about to, and to also as far as possible avoid “double dating” -i.e. two events on the same day which could create problems not only for the organisers but also the public.

An appeal therefore to all schools, Churches, ngo’s ,municipalities,sports bodies,clubs etc. etc. to submit dates and event details to the Greytown Gazette for publication.

Please note this is a FREE service to the community.

APRIL

2nd: Good Friday

3rd: Monthly Mug Greytown

5th:Family Day

10-11:Greytown club championships

16th-18th: Mighty Men Conference

23rd:Wembley Matric dance

24th:Friends Wembley dance

24th and 25th: National Butterfly census at Mhlopeni nature reserve.

26th:Wembley matric fashion show

27th :Freedom Day

MAY

1st: Workers Day

1st: Hermannsburg Schulfest

1st May:Fiddler on the Roof: Hermannsburg School

1st:PANNAR golf day

8th:Monthly Mug golf

11th: Greytown Garden Club meeting

13/14th:Wembley H/S play

29th:GHS Old Scholars day

29th:SANLAM -Cancer golf day

30th:Ladies invitation golf

JUNE

5th:Monthly Mug

8th:Greytown Garden Club annual general meeting

16th; Youth day

JULY

3rd: Monthly Mug

14th:Interhouse athletics GHS

17-18th:Greytown sports foundation GHS

17th:Aheers Development golf day Greytown

24th:GHS Matric farewell

26th: GHS fashion show

31st:Spot On golf day Greytown

August1st: Monthly Mug

4/5:Wembley SP play

9th:Women’s Day

10th:Greytown Garden Club

14th:FNB golf day Greytown

20th:Speech and drama evening Wembley

21-28:Spring treatment Greytown

25th;Quadrangular schools athletics

28th:Co-ed athletics

SEPTEMBER

2nd:Wembley Golden awards evening

4th: Monthly Mug Greytown

17-18th: Hermannsburg sponsored golf St Cathryns

23rd: GHS Market Day

24th:Heritage day

25th:Wembley golf day Greytown

30th Ladies open golf

OCTOBER

2nd: Monthly Mug

16:Greytown Classic

30th: Nguni Festival

NOVEMBER

5TH:GHS prizegiving

6th:Monthly Mug Greytown

9th:SAGES golf Greytown

20th:Umvoti Tyres golf day Greytown

26th:Wembley JP graduation

DECEMBER

4th: Monthly Mug Greytown

7th Carol evening at Wembley

9th:Wembley prizegiving

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THIS TAX REFUND COULD COST YOU!

Many people out there treat tax matters with extreme caution and regard SARS as the proverbial all-seeing powerful not-to-be-trifled-with entity. So any demand document ion is treated with respect whilst refunds are greeted with joy.

BUT BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scamming conmen have cottoned on to this and are now targetting unsuspecting taxpayers through email

Using a SARS logo the email headed”tax refund notification” lists a credible amount and tells you to “click here to submit your tax refund request”

Do that and an official looking page ,the tax refund portal, is downloaded with the SARS logo;bank logos and you are then asked to click on your bank. Do this and up comes a request for your credit card number and its pin!

PLEASE WHATEVER YOU DO ...DO NOT ENTER AND SUBMIT THESE DETAILS.

If you still think that this cynical reporter is wrong - please print these documents and show them to your bank, friendly accountant or even the friendly taxman etc. before you succumb.

The scammers even go as far as to put this statement at the bottom of the page:

”Important security alert! Standard(NedbankFNB or ABSA) Bank will never ask you to access internet banking through a link in an email. Don’t fall victim to fraud!”

The alert however does not mention that neither the SARS nor the banks would follow such a procedure !

If you ignore the warnings and are switched off enough to enter and submit these details you will find all sorts of weird and wonderfully exotic items purchased on your credit card.

BE WARNED!

ends

READERS WRITE ROAD OF DEATH!

Sir,

I weep in sadness for the unimaginable loss of the Mahabeer family.

I scream in anger at the arrogant incompetence of those who should police our roads.

This road is almost continuously in the news

Can they not read?

Can they read?

Do they care?

It would be good if your newspaper could clearly identify the split of responsibility between the Provincial Traffic Police and that of the local Municipal Police.

I travel the road very often and have yet to see a cruising patrol vehicle - they are either hurtling along going somewhere, or parked in a pleasant shady spot waiting for the unwary.